


Tired

by sillyboyblue



Category: Split Second (1992)
Genre: Angst, Cancer, M/M, Tears, dick takes care of stone, sick Stone, the scorpio has a cancer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 13:53:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8847625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sillyboyblue/pseuds/sillyboyblue
Summary: Harley Stone's body is tired.





	

Stone was tired today. 

He and Dick had to rush up three flights of stairs, and he was out of breath by the second one. He had told Dick to go on without him, that he would join him later, and Dick had not been worried. It happened all the time. Stone just smoked too much.

But Stone never came. Dick waited for the forensic pathologist to determine the cause of death of the victim before exiting the room to check on Stone. He was sprawled on his back halfway through the third flight of stairs. Dick rushed to his side, fearing the worst. Stone was alive but he was in an altered state of mind. He was literally gasping for air with his eyes wide open and ready to pop out of their sockets. Dick unbuckled Stone's belt and got rid of any extra weight that was pressing on his body -- holsters, bullets, blasters, everything. Stone was not responding to visual stimulus. 

"Harley ? Can you hear me ?"

Dick gingerly took Stone's hand in his.

"Squeeze my hand if you hear me."

No squeeze. Stone had not even turned his head in the direction of the voice.

Dick started to really freak out. What if Stone was dying ?

Dick called for help. Hopefully, there were still tons of doctors and paramedics on the crime scene so Stone was evacuated to the nearest hospital very quickly. Dick was allowed in the ambulance and spent the entire ride sitting at the back, next to Stone. 

Dick parted with Stone when they took him to the resuscitation room. Dick had been sitting in the waiting room for what felt like hours when they told him that Stone would live. They also said that he was still recovering but that Dick could visit him. Which he did.

Stone was lying on a hospital bed that was too big for him, which made the usually big man appear unusually small. 

He opened his eyes when he heard the door open and smiled at Dick. Relief overwhelmed the detective. Stone seemed to be fine, too tired to speak, but just fine.

Dick held his hand for the entire time that he was in the room and only let go when the doctor asked to speak to him. Dick kissed Stone on the forehead, told him he would be back very soon, and followed the doctor out of the room.

There were good news and bad news. Dick asked the doctor to start with the good ones.

Stone had made a miracle recovery and he might have been leaving the hospital sooner than expected, had it not been for the bad news. Stone had stage four lung cancer that had spread to the brain. Stone just smoked too much.

Dick knew about his partner's smoking habits. He had seen how seemed always out of breath. He had noticed that he had lost his appetite and therefore some weight. He had heard Stone complaining that he was tired.

But it was not enough, it could not be. What the doctor told Dick shook him.

Stone had been coughing up blood. He had had chest pains. He had often experienced headaches and dizzy spells. And he had been hiding all of it from Dick.

Stage four lung and brain cancer. Dick's own brain refused to register the words.

So what had happened to Stone earlier was a seizure. Dick thought that seizures were always like those big dramatic epileptic seizures. They do not teach you that in law school.

Stone did not know yet, and Dick did not want to be the one to have to break it to him. He had told him that he would be back shortly, but he did not know if he could keep his promise. Stone would be suspicious if he saw Dick crying a river for no apparent reason. 

It had all happened in one day. In the morning, Stone had fallen, and in the afternoon Dick was announced that Stone would never get up again.

How old was Stone anyway ? He could not be older than fifty-five. It was too early for him to be dying of cancer.

Was there really no hope ? Treatments were expensive and there was no guarantee of success with this type of cancer. Even advanced medicine could not do anything for Stone. It seemed to be a lost cause. Dick understood.

How long ? Eight months at most. 

If Stone only had eight months to live, there was not a day to waste. Dick dried his tears, put on his best smile and went back to Stone's room.

They spent the rest of the day reading the reports that they had on the murder case (it had turned out to be a murder) so far. Their boss had gotten them delivered to the hospital. He knew that Stone would not like to be inactive. He had been right.

Stone eventually grew tired of working. So he lay his head on Dick's lap and closed his eyes. Soon enough he was snoring and drooling a little. Dick realized that not once during the entire day had Stone asked for chocolate and the thought that one day he would stop stuffing his face with sweets forever brought him to tears.

Dick's tears fell on Stone's forehead and he woke up. Dick still expected him to react the way he used to when they first met, but he showed genuine concern for his partner.

"Are you finally gonna tell me what's wrong ?"

Dick tried to choose his words carefully, but he figured out that avoiding the subject would upset Stone.

"You have stage four lung cancer that spread to your brain."

Stone kept a straight face when he heard the words. The tone of his voice betrayed slight irritation.

"What does that mean for me ?"

It was too late to turn back now. 

"Oh Harley..."

Dick burst into tears. Stone had already seen Dick cry, but never so openly and freely. He was not even trying to hold back tears.

"You're dying, Harley..."

Stone was calm when he asked : "I'm gonna die ?"

Dick's shoulders were heaving with each sob, so hard that he could not speak anymore, but he nodded.

Stone sat up and gathered him in his arms. He rocked him gently and kissed his hair lovingly. 

"Hey, Dick. Love. I'm not gone yet."

Dick looked up and managed a small smile. His eyes were still filled with tears. Stone smiled too and kissed away the remaining tears.

"I'm still here." he whispered.

Dick closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath.

"Not for long."

Stone cupped Dick's face in his big hands and pressed their foreheads together.

"How long ?"

Dick's voice cracked and Stone held him closer.

"Eight months at most."

Stone kissed Dick's nose tenderly and then both his cheeks. 

"Then we have plenty of time."

Just as he had said those words, Stone broke into a coughing fit. Dick reacted quickly and handed Stone a handful of tissues that he held to his mouth. 

Dick hoped not to see red on the white. He did.

Stone groaned as he crumpled the tissues into a ball and aimed for the bin. He missed.

"Plenty of time." he told Dick with a cheeky smile that would have probably made him smile too had Stone's lips not been stained with blood. Dick took another tissue and washed the blood off. 

Soon the visiting hours were over and Dick had to go. He hugged Stone, kissed him goodbye and told him that he would be back tomorrow. Stone was smiling. Dick was about to close the door when he heard a sound in the room. He turned back.

Stone was not smiling anymore. He was rocking back and forth on his bed and hyperventilating.

Dick rushed to his side and called his name a few times. Stone turned his head to look at him. Dick sighed in relief. It was not a seizure. 

But it was a very, very bad panic attack. 

"Harley... Honey... What is it ? What's wrong ?..."

Stone's wide eyes filled with tears as he murmured in a shaky voice : "Don't go... Don't go..." Stone burst into tears.

It broke Dick's heart to see Stone so vulnerable. He appeared to have only just processed what was happening to him.

"Please... Don't go..."

Dick took Stone's hands firmly in his and kissed each knuckle repeatedly until his breathing was back to normal.

"I'm here, Harley, I'm right here..."

Stone began kissing Dick's hands too between sobs. Dick brushed away Stone's tears with his thumbs as he kissed the tip of his fingers. 

"Don't let go..."

Dick gathered Stone in his arms and held him close. He kissed his cheeks and his temples. 

"I'm not going anywhere."

He tried to mimic Stone's way of comforting him.

In the end, Dick was allowed to spend the night with Stone.

Stone was tired tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> I have been feeling down for the past two days which explains the general tone of this story.


End file.
